Floundering Around Niceville!

NKlamerus

I finally fixed the ole jon boat out back. And perfect timing!

We rigged up some outdoor 50 watt lights to a floating pvc frame for my first floundering adventure here in Niceville and it was definetly worth it!

Went out last night and easily saw over 30 southern gulf flounder, got our limit of 20(10per person of course) all of them close to 5 pounds, which to me sounds pretty big doesnt it?

Not only do flounder get it going, but 2 huge reds and a few trout easily filled the cooler(these were not gigged, caught on lighted docks with penn 750 and cobia special), just advice to anyone with open late nights. Go ahead and rig up the boat and try it, you wont be disappointed.

Also anyone know where i can find the starfire floundering tube lights? they used to have them at kmart in niceville, and basspro employees have never even heard of them!:huh

Panhandler80

That's awesome! I have not been in a couple years. Definitely a blast when weather cooperates.

Check your PM, too.

Edit: Starfire lights... I cleaned half hitch - PC out a few years back.

Mullet

I KNOW you took pics right?? I'm drooling over a pic of 20 5 pounders. We catch one every now and a gain but never more than a couple. Awesome night.

NKlamerus

It was! and no, sadly we completely didnt! we cleaned them, handed them out to neighbors and friends and it was time to go again!

Oh and the reda and trout were not gigged, those were caught of the back, one person gigs while the other fishes the lighted docks. Thanks Panhandler80, i completely missed that!

Panhandler80

No problem! Didn't want to accuse you of something before knowing the facts and start a cyber-war. Had they been gigged, was just suggesting in the PM that you edit the post.

SO... no pics? Dang. I'd like to see that many 5lbers laid out.

Maybe with snapper not opening up I'll try and do a floundering trip sometime between late summer family stuff and deer season.

NKlamerus

Yeah i wasnt thinking, but niether was my dad, he said it was the best night hes ever had out there. up until the one he gigged on the tail...

And thanks again, definetly dont wanna start a war like some of the other posts!

Panhandler80

I hear ya. It sure can be a lot of fun. I've never had any success like what you have posted above, but we've do okay from time to time. Last time I went I missed the biggest flounder I have ever seen (both in person and maybe in pictures). Was absolutley huge.

We were positioned over a patch of grass and surrouned by bleach white beach sand in about 3' of water. Vis was crystal clear. We had 4 or 5 average fish in the boat and at the edge of the light (probably... eh... 20 feet away) I see what a seperate patch of grass that had to be close to a yard long and it wasin the exact shape of a flounder up front, and then there was a brown triangle behind it.

Without a care in the world I hit the trolling motor one time and we floated about 2/3 the way there. WHOA! It became clear. Massive massive flounder. Clearly we had pushed it off that grassy patch because she was dark brown with huge white spots on her. She had gotten only the bridge between her caudal fin and body covered in sand, so she was clearly in flight mode as opposed to let's stay concealed. Very deep (like 20ft) water no more than 40 feet away. Boat came to a stand still and in amazement I just stared for a minuted. I swear the distance between each spine on her dorsal and ventral fins were over an inch apart. Anyway, so the boat stopped moving and I was afraid to hit the trolling motor again. I just knew she was abuot to make another bolt.

Here goes nothing, I gigged her with a nice 3 point gig and got the N/S perfect, but I was off to the E a little bit. My plan was to just slide down the gig and get her out of the water with my bare hands. However, all I remember seeing as I felt through the bamboo gig bones breaking and fleash ripping, all I saw was a huge patch of brown turn to an even bigger patch of white. It looked like a pillow case down there as she rolled off the gig, and... off she went.... wah-woosh, wah-hoosh... it was like watching a halibut make a run at boat side on a TV show... all the while blood coming out of the gills and flesh / skin trailing behind her.

We scoured the area for a good hour or so, but never found her. She was headed to that deep area and I'm sure by the time we quit looking a crab or two had already found it.

I flat naturally love big fish... tuna, grouper, bream, wahoo, snapper, whatever. What we lost that night was a true trophy. Yes, I am haunted by any big one that gets away no matter the species.

Okay... that's my flounder story for the day.

Carry on!